We have endured some crazy events in America during the first six months of 2020, with the impeachment trial and political drama; the Corona Virus pandemic; and now racial and civil unrest, accompanied with looting, rioting and terrible violence. During the quarantine period, the Lord laid a passage on both mine and my wife’s heart that gave us great comfort and confidence in God’s protection over our family. That passage is Psalm 91, which we’re going to begin looking at today.
This will be a two-part sermon entitled, “Under the Shadow of His Wings.” Today, of course, will be part 1. As we examine this passage, I am going to be sharing some rich observations made by Charles Spurgeon in his commentary called The Treasury of David. Bear in mind that his observations were written prior to 1885; and yet, his interpretation, though written long ago, seems almost prophetic concerning what we’re facing in America right now; and thus, proves to be very applicable.
Our Strong and Mighty Fortress (vv. 1-4)
1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High [Elyon] shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God [Elohim], in Him I will trust.” 3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. 4 He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
In verse 1, the word “dwell” means, “to make one’s abode” or to “abide,” and the word for “secret place” can be translated as “shelter” (Strong’s). As Christians, we are to make our abode in the shelter of the Most High. The title “Most High” is derived from one of the Hebrew names for God, which in this verse is Elyon. Elyon means “highest” or “most,” and tells us that the Lord is “God of gods,” or rather “the ultimate God.” When the title Elyon first appears in the Scripture, the King James Version identifies it, in Genesis 14:19, with He who is “possessor of heaven and earth.” Elyon has the rightful claim to the ownership of all there is; thus, He is powerful and has the ability to protect us like none other. He is truly one in whom we can put our trust and safely abide.
In verse 2, the word “fortress” means, “the top peak of a mountain,” “a mountain castle,” or “mountain fortress.”(1) Herod the Great built a mountain fortress called Masada that “rose some 1,500 feet above the sea on an isolated mesa about two-thirds of the way down the western shore of the Dead Sea. Its summit of twenty-three acres gave space for palaces, barracks for soldiers, and storerooms for military equipment and supplies of food.” It had a double wall with towers, and inside the wall there were one hundred ten rooms, or compartments.(2)
When we dwell in the “shelter” or “fortress” of the Most High, we have a secure and spacious dwelling place to put our mind and heart at ease from the wars and enemies raging on the outside. Jesus told us, “Let not your heart be troubled . . . In My Father’s house are many mansions [or rooms]; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:1-2).
When the text says that He is “my God, in Him I will trust,” the phrase “my God” is derived from another one of the Hebrew names for God, which in this verse is Elohim, meaning, “strong Creator.” The Hebrew name Elohim is plural. Some use this fact to support the doctrine of the trinity. It must be noted, however, that every time Elohim is used referring to the one true God, it has a singular meaning. It is often called “the plural of majesty,” or “plural intensive,” with a “singular meaning.”(3) It is God’s name magnified and multiplied, in order to emphasis His greatness, majesty and strength. This insertion of Elohim provides further consolation that we can trust the Lord, being free from fear concerning the wars that rage and the enemies that lie all around.
In verse 3, the word “snare” means “to plot and devise against anyone,”(4) and the word “fowler” can be translated as “trapper” or “bait-layer.”(5) In 1 Timothy, we read, “If a man desires the position of a bishop . . . he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil” (1 Timothy 3:1, 7). Paul says that we must have a good testimony before those on the outside, for outside the walls of the fortress, the trapper awaits. In 2 Timothy, Paul prays that people will “come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.” The Most High God will deliver us from the snares of the devil, and shelter us from spiritual attacks, as long as we abide in Him; and as Paul pointed out, one way to do that is by keeping “a good testimony among those who are outside.”
Let’s look at this concept further. In Mark chapter 13, Jesus said that persecution will arise for Christians during the season before His return. They will be persecuted by the government and tried for their faith (v. 9). There will be “trappers” and “bait-layers” waiting for them to mess up. Jesus’ advice is to “watch out for yourselves” (v. 9), and to “take heed, watch and pray” (v. 33), as though suggesting that we “lay low” and “stay under the radar” as much as possible. I just shared what Paul said about avoiding the snare of the devil. He said that if we want to escape, that we need to have a good testimony before those who are outside the faith. This is confirmed in 1 Peter 2:13-15. A good testimony is way of minimizing those encounters with the government, and we maintain our testimony when we abide in the secret place of the Most High.
In verse 3, we are also told that the Most High God will deliver us from “the perilous pestilence.” The word “perilous,” can be translated as “engulfing,” and the word “pestilence” means, “plague.”(6) So, we move from spiritual protection (something we can easily acknowledge), to physical protection (which is protection from the “engulfing plague”). This is probably where we begin to scratch our head and wonder if we can really trust the Scripture; or wonder how we can possibly apply what it’s saying. Do we believe that God will protect us from the plague or pandemic by the walls of His invisible spiritual fortress? Or, do we only believe that we can be protected by the physical walls of our house during quarantine? This, as they say, is where the rubber meets the road.
Concerning verses 1-3, Charles Spurgeon encourages us, saying, “Let us, when we are secure in the Lord, rejoice that our position is unassailable, for He is our fortress as well as our refuge. No moat, drawbridge, wall, or battlement could make us so secure as we are when the attributes of the Lord of Hosts surrounds us. Our ramparts defy the leagued hosts of hell. Foes in flesh, and foes in spiritual guise are alike rebuked of their prey when the Lord of Hosts stands between us and their fury, and all other evil forces are turned aside. Walls cannot keep out the pestilence, but the Lord can” (edited quote).(7) I’m sure you caught that last line. “Walls cannot keep out the pestilence, but the Lord can.” Do we believe this?
In verse 4, the mention of God’s feathers and wings is a reference to God’s presence symbolized by the ark and the cherubim; it is an image of tender intimacy.(8) We are told that as we draw near unto God’s presence, “His truth shall be [our] shield and buckler.” The word “truth” means both “divine instruction” and “truth as a body of ethical or religious knowledge” (Strong’s). Ephesians 1:13 tells us, “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.” The truth for Christians is found in the gospel, the word of truth; or rather, the Word of God. In Ephesians 6:17, the Word of God is likened to a two-edged sword, which is an offensive weapon.
Truth is not only an offensive weapon; but a defensive weapon as well, as we see by use of the word “shield.” This word is a general term for a piece of defensive armor used to block the arrows and blows from an enemy. Now, the term “buckler” is a very specific kind of shield. “It was composed of wood, or wickers woven together, covered with skin or leather, fortified with plates of brass or other metal, and worn on the left arm. On the middle was an [area] . . . useful in causing stones and darts to glance off. The buckler often was four feet long, and covered the whole body.”(9) So, if we desire the total protective covering of the Most High God, during both spiritual trials and physical adversities, then we need to wholly immerse ourselves in truth; in the Word of God.
No Fear of Terror and Pestilence (vv. 5-8)
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. 8 Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked.
Let me begin commenting on verse 5 by saying that nighttime can be very frightening. Just listen to a description of the night, as I read from Job chapter 24: “When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up, kills the poor and needy, and in the night steals forth like a thief. The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk; he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’ and he keeps his face concealed. In the dark, thieves break into houses, but by day they shut themselves in; they want nothing to do with the light. For all of them, midnight is their morning; they make friends with the terrors of darkness . . . [God] may let them rest in a feeling of security, but His eyes are on their ways. For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like heads of grain” (Job 24:14-17, 23-24, NIV).
Evil runs about at night. It’s the time when people commit crimes and try to practice secret sin. It’s when the adulterer and prostitute lurk about. It’s when you see “terror” Job says, which could be in the form of terrorism; and it’s when people murder, steal, and break into houses; and I must add that it’s also when people break into stores, and loot, and riot as we’re seeing in America right now. But, in Psalm 91:5, we are told that we “shall not be afraid of the terror by night.”
In verse 6, we are told that we shall not be afraid “of the pestilence that walks in darkness.” “Pestilence” is a “plague,” just as it was back in verse 3; and it strikes unseen, as though by cover of darkness. Spurgeon comments, “Nothing is more alarming than the assassin’s plot, for he may at any moment steal in upon a man, and lay him low at a stroke; and such is the plague in the days of its power, none can promise themselves freedom from it for [even] an hour in any place in the infected city; it enters a house [and] men know not how, and its very breath is mortal; yet those choice souls who dwell in God shall live above fear in the most plague stricken places.”(10) Allow me to share an illustration:
The Great Plague, lasting from 1665 to 1666, was the last major epidemic of the bubonic plague to occur in England . . . [It] killed an estimated 100,000 people – almost a quarter of London’s population – in eighteen months (Wikipedia). Lord William Craven was living in London when the Great Plague broke out. When it grew into an epidemic, his Lordship, in order to avoid the danger, resolved to go to his house in the country.
His coach and six servants were at the door, his baggage was put up, and all things were ready for the journey. With his hat on, his cane under his arm, and putting on his gloves, in order to step into his carriage, he overheard one servant saying to another servant. “I suppose, by my Lord’s quitting London to avoid the plague, that his God lives in the country, and not in town.”
The speech struck Lord Craven and made him pause. “My God,” he thought, “lives everywhere, and can preserve me in town as well as in the country. I will stay where I am. The words of that servant have just now preached to me a very useful sermon. Lord, pardon this unbelief, and my distrust of thy providence, which made me think of running from thy hand.” He immediately ordered his horses to be taken from the coach, and the baggage to be taken inside. He continued in London and was remarkably useful among his sick neighbors; and he never caught the plague.(11)
In verse 6, we are told that we also shall not be afraid “of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.” The word “destruction” can be rendered as “storm causing destruction”(12) This devastating destruction will occur like an enemy attack at noonday. It is “suddenly and unexpected, as an attack was rarely made at this time of day.”(13) This could be referring to how adversity of any kind seems to come upon us as a surprise attack with devastating consequences; but even when this happens, we must not be afraid.
Spurgeon says, “Famine may starve, or bloody war devour, earthquake may overturn and tempest may smite, but amid all, the man who has sought the mercy seat and is sheltered beneath the wings which overshadow it, shall abide in perfect peace. Days of horror and nights of terror are for other men. [The believer’s] days and nights alike are spent with God, and therefore pass away in sacred quiet. His peace is not a thing of times and seasons, it does not rise and set with the sun, nor does it depend upon the healthiness of the atmosphere or the security of the country”(14) or nation.
Verse 7 says that people may be falling all around, but “it shall not come near you.” The term “come near” means “as an enemy to attack” (Strong’s). It shall be so near as to be at your side, and yet not near enough to harm you; like a fire it shall burn all around, yet the smell of it will not touch you.(15) Since the term “come near” can refer to “an enemy attack,” Charles Spurgeon, compares this description to a plague of “moral evil” within a society, and then adds the following insight: “Whole nations are infected, yet the man who communes with God is not affected by the contagion; he holds the truth when falsehood is all the fashion. Professors all around him are plague smitten, the church is wasted, the very life of religion decays; but in the same place and time, in fellowship with God, the believer renews his youth, and his soul knows no sickness.”(16)
This description by Spurgeon sounds like America right now. “When falsehood is all the fashion,” reminds me of all the fake news. “Professors all around him are plague smitten,” reminds me of how so many people are being swayed to go along with the crowd in this plague of moral evil; with seemingly everyone professing and perpetrating the same lies. “The church is wasted, the very life of religion decays,” reminds me of how churches are being regulated in coming together for worship, and how some are still afraid to return to church; or perhaps some have even “gotten out of the habit.” But amidst all this, the faithful follower of Christ maintains His fellowship with God and knows no spiritual sickness.
Verse 8 says, “Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked.” The word “reward” means “penalty.” As long as we continue to dwell and abide in the secret place of the Most High, we will not see the terror, pestilence, or destruction. The only thing we will see with our eyes is the penalty inflicted on those who fail to worship God. As Job said, “[God] may let them rest in a feeling of security, but His eyes are on their ways. For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like heads of grain” (Job 24:23-24).
Time of Reflection
We are witnessing some terrible atrocities in our nation; things that can easily make us afraid. But Psalm 91 tells us that when we dwell in the “shelter” or “fortress” of the Most High, we can have peace of mind when wars and enemies rage all around. God will deliver us from the snares of the devil; and from all his bait-layers. He will shelter us from both physical and spiritual attacks, as long as we abide in Him. The Lord will protect us from physical adversities such as terrorism and enemies, even plague or pandemic, when we wholly immerse ourselves in truth, which is found in the Word of Truth.
Let me again remind you of what Ephesians 1:13 says: “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.” Henry Blackaby says that truth is a person; and His name is Jesus. Earlier we heard where Jesus spoke about one’s eternal fortress and eternal place of safety in God; or one’s eternal home. He said, “Let not your heart be troubled . . . In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:1-2). When Thomas asked Him how to get there, Jesus replied, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). The only way to our eternal place of refuge is through truth; and Jesus says that He is the truth.
The truth says that there is only one way to heaven, and that is through Jesus Christ. If you wish to be forgiven of your sins, and receive eternal life in an everlasting place of refuge known as heaven, then you need to admit your sins and confess Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of your life. Romans 10:9-10 tells us how. It says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
NOTES
(1) Gesenius’ Hebrew Lexicon, Blue Letter Bible.
(2) Howard F. Vos, New Illustrated Bible Manners and Customs (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1999), 399-400.
(3) Gesenius; Brown-Driver’s Brigg’s Hebrew Lexicon.
(4) Gesenius.
(5) Ibid.
(6) Ibid.
(7) Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David: https://www.christianity.com/bible/commentary.php?com=spur&b=19&c=91 (Accessed June 9, 2020).
(8) John I. Durham, “Psalms,” The Broadman Bible Commentary, ed. Clifton J. Allen (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1971), 359.
(9) Noah Webster, “Buckler,” 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language (San Francisco: Foundation for American Christian Education, 2002).
(10) Spurgeon.
(11) Ibid.
(12) Gesenius.
(13) Ibid.
(14) Spurgeon.
(15) Ibid.
(16) Ibid.
